Brasserie Ten Ten, Boulder

Update Tuesday, April 28, 2020

I'll keep updating this post as I slowly get through more food pics ^.^

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Original post Sunday, April 25, 2020

This food tribute post to Brasserie Ten Ten of Boulder, Colorado, is long, long, long overdue, because hubby and I have been dining here since our college days. Yes, nearly 20 years. Way to feel old, huh? ^.^

DHC Olive Virgin Oil Part II

Been occasionally using this 5mL/0.16fl oz. sample tube of DHC Olive Virgin Oil I got from a GWP Sube Sube Travel Set, so here's a quick update post.  

Littler, Durham

With covid-19 wrecking havoc on the restaurant industry, whenever possible I'm going to squeeze in tribute food posts to restaurants we love, local or otherwise. Initially, I thought of doing all food posts, including those we didn't like so much. However, I feel posting negative reviews of restaurants right now is akin to kicking someone who's already down. We don't need anymore negativity, do we? So for now, positive posts only when it comes to food ^.^

Without much further ado, here's Littler in Durham, North Carolina. Late November of last year, hubby attended a work conference in Durham and I tagged along as usual. We have friends in the area from whom we solicited restaurant recommendations (though it didn't dawn on me until much later in our trip that Caty, my friend and reader, is also in the area =.=" sorry, Caty!), and Littler came up quite a few times. So I booked a dinner reservation for our first night there, and that one single dinner remained the highlight of our entire trip. I still think of the food even now--it was that good!

Household Goodies

Long post ahead with lots of photos. First Household Goodies post to share some neat stuff I found over the past couple of years, since hubby and I moved into our permanent home.

***Disclaimer: I'm *not affiliated* with any of these brands or vendors. Just sharing the goodies I enjoy is all.

I'd mentioned Heartfelt SF in my latest Tea Time post, an SF locally owned gift shop our friends N. and A. introduced us to where I source my most favorite Earl Grey Lavender tea ever. Turns out they have a bunch of great kitchen stuff too. One time I was browsing their online shop and found these two adorable sets of pinch bowls and couldn't resist.

Look how cute these are! Hubby and I have found ourselves reaching for them constantly, to put our tea bag, to rest our tea spoon, dipping sauces, etc.

Suqqu Stain Lip Lacquer Part II

This Suqqu Stain Lip Lacquer in 106 紅蘇芳 (Benisuou) was a lucky grab during Selfridge UK's 2019 summer sale. This Lip Lacquer and an Eye and Cheek Compact (yawn!) were both Shinjuku Isetan LE items that spring so I was rather surprised to see it on sale so soon in the summer. But hey, I'm not complaining. It's freakin' gorgeous!

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Mustela Multi-Sensory Bubble Bath Part II

This 750mL/25.35fl. oz. jumbo size bottle of Mustela Multi-Sensory Bubble Bath was among the items I stocked up during the brand's recent Easter sale.

Bioderma Hydrabio Serum

Almost done with this 5mL/0.17fl. oz. sample tube of Bioderma Hydrabio Serum so here's a quick post for it.

I started using this Bioderma serum as part of my morning routine after finishing Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Mermaid Skin Hyaluronic H2O Serum. So far, so good. The Bioderma serum is an unscented clear gel that's light but surprisingly moisturizing, pretty straightforward. It goes on clean and absorbs quickly, leaving my skin with that satisfying sense of dryness-relief. I like it a lot will definitely purchase the full size.

Mustela Gentle Cleansing Gel Part II

Mustela recently had an Easter sale and I took the opportunity to stock up some goodies. Right now, we're using the 2-in-1 Cleansing Gel Hair and Body for our little guy (will post soon), but both hubby and I prefer this Gentle Cleansing Gel because it's available in a jumbo size 750mL/25.35fl. oz. pump bottle. Who wants to mess with a squeeze-tube and a flip-cap when there's a toddler splashing around in a bath tub? Not us.

Tea Time Part VI

This Tea Time post came much sooner than I expected!

***Disclaimer: I'm *not affiliated* with any of these tea brands or vendors. Just sharing the goodies I enjoy is all.

First up is TeaHaus, but let me back up a bit.

In the fall of 2018 (I think), Julia introduced me to her favorite Japanese tea brand, Hanamizuki. She generously sent me a few of their teas to try (will post soon--they deserve a dedicated post!), among which was this spectacular Hakutou Rooibos, a white peach-flavored green (un-oxidized) rooibos that can be brewed hot or cold. This tea was so good it sent my hoarding instinct into overdrive and the only thing that held me back was that, well, it's only available in Japan. Ha.

So instead, I went searching for a states-side equivalent. After some googling, I found a Peachy Green Rooibos and some gorgeous Kotobuki Washi Tins from a blender by the name of TeaHaus in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The great news is that the tins are more beautiful in person than in pictures. In fact, I just went back and bought more tins from them! 

Nivea Rich Care & Color Lip Cream SPF20 PA++

Last spring, when I was restocking my sunscreen supply via Rakuten Global, these Nivea Rich Care & Color Lip Cream SPF20 PA++ were popping up everywhere I looked. Apparently the aggressive marketing worked. I sure gave in and picked up a Smokey Rose to try.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Origins Calm to Your Senses Lavender and Vanilla Body Cleanser

Finally finished with the bottle of L'Occitane Bonne Mere Peach Shower Gel which only took me, oh, almost a year and a half +.+ So I happily moved on to the next thing in the queue, this 200mL/6.7fl. oz. bottle of Origins Calm to Your Senses Lavender and Vanilla Body Cleanser, which might last me just as long. Ha.

Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve

Update Monday, April 13, 2020.

A couple of weeks after my original post on Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve below, I did place an order for a full size of both the Hand Salve as well as the Ultra Facial Cleanser and the Daily Reviving Concentrate.

Little did I know that just a few months down the road, hubby and I would be in desperate need of a good hand cream in the kitchen. This pandemic came out of nowhere and now we wash our hands constantly. This Hand Salve has been providing our dry hands with such relief I think I might need to stock on a few more tubes.

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Original post Sunday, December 1, 2019.

Got these deluxe samples from Kiehl's sometimes in September, and among them the Midnight Recovery Concentrate and a 30mL/1fl. oz. tube of this Ultimate Strength Hand Salve which I'm using and loving right now.